January 27, 2017

Vietnamese seafood exports face barriers in int'l market

Vietnam seafood exporters faces several barriers in 2017 that range from protectionism to bad media coverage, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep), vietnamnet.vn reported.

Vietnamese seafood exports last year is estimated to have reached US$7.1 billion, an increase of 8% compared with 2015, despite drought, saline intrusion and environmental disaster in four central provinces caused by Formosa's untreated waste water discharge.

The drought and saline intrusion are expected to continue to have effects on fresh-water fish breeding and have a big impact on the cultivation area and material output, the news report said.

Vietnam will also have to contend with non-tariff barriers set up by importing countries to prevent them from penetrating the markets.

An example is the importing countries' regulations on inspecting import quality. Japan, for one, examines shrimp import consignments from Vietnam to detect furazolidone, enrofloxacin and sulfadiazine.

Australia has also said it would impose stricter examination of Vietnamese seafood for biological toxins and microorganisms after reports that 11 seafood consignments from Vietnam to the EU were found to have had heavy metal concentration (cadmium and mercury) higher than the permitted level during the nine-month period from January to September 2016.

The anti-dumping duties and catfish inspection programme also remain barriers to Vietnam's catfish in the US market. With high anti-dumping duties, only two or three Vietnamese companies would be able to export products to the market, according to the report.

Bad publicity was also cited as posing a risk to Vietnamese seafood exports. Last Jan. 5, a video clip on Spanish television gave allegedly incorrect information about Vietnamese catfish.